Chapter 3
The Biogeography of South African
Terrestrial Plant Invasions
David M. Richardson , Llewellyn C. Foxcroft , Guillaume Latombe ,
David C. Le Maitre , Mathieu Rouget , and John R. Wilson
Abstract Thousands of plant species have been introduced, intentionally and
accidentally, to South Africa from many parts of the world. Alien plants are now
conspicuous features of many South African landscapes and hundreds of species
have naturalised (i.e. reproduce regularly without human intervention), many of
which are also invasive (i.e. have spread over long distances). There is no comprehensive inventory of alien, naturalised, and invasive plants for South Africa, but
D. M. Richardson (*)
Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University,
Stellenbosch, South Africa
e-mail: rich@sun.ac.za
L. C. Foxcroft
Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University,
Stellenbosch, South Africa
Conservation Services, South African National Parks, Skukuza, South Africa
G. Latombe
Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University,
Stellenbosch, South Africa
Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University,
Stellenbosch, South Africa
Division of Conservation Biology, Vegetation, and Landscape Ecology, University of Vienna,
Vienna, Austria
D. C. Le Maitre
Centre for Invasion Biology, Natural Resources and the Environment, Council for Scientific
and Industrial Research, Stellenbosch, South Africa
M. Rouget
UMR PVBMT, CIRAD, La Réunion, France
J. R. Wilson
Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University,
Stellenbosch, South Africa
South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, Cape Town,
South Africa
© The Author(s) 2020
B. W. van Wilgen et al. (eds.), Biological Invasions in South Africa, Invading
Nature - Springer Series in Invasion Ecology 14,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32394-3_3
67